Keyboard fob accordions



Feb. 8, 1944. E. CLAUDE 2,341,082

KEYBOARD FOR ACGORDIONS Filed Feb. 27. 1942 Ernst CZaude Patented Feb. 8, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application February 27, 1942, Serial No. 432,694 In Switzerland December 18, 1940 1 Claim.

It must be admitted that a key-board for accordions is already known, whereby the keys of the first and second row merely produce the principal tones. This key-board, however, is only intended to facilitate the method of learning to play the accordion, by means of a more simple disposition of the principal tones. On the other hand, it was not known that this disposition may be combined as touch-notes and music-notes, by modifying the arrangement of the keys producing the principaland semi-tones.

The object of the present invention is a disposition of the treble-key-board of accordions for playing after ordinary music-notes, thereby characterized that touch-notes and music-notes are combined in such a way that the keys of the first and second row, which are arranged in zigrag and rise from the deep to the higher tones merely produce the principal tones, whereas the keys of the third row only produce semi-tones, whereby, however, the keys of the third row are arranged in such a manner that the keys for the intial and final semi-tones of an octave lie approximately in the same line as the keys of the first and second row for the corresponding principal tones, and by means of such disposition each key of each row in its succession and in its position towards each other, corresponds with the succession and position of the notes in ordinary music-printing.

Furthermore, it proved itself useful to choose keys of different size, preferably in such a manner that the keys of the first and second row are of the same size, Whereas the size of those of the third row should be smaller than the keys of the first and second row, allowing more keys to be placed in the third row than in the first and second.

The key-board is, for instance, set into action in such a way that the corresponding keys of the first and second row are pressed down to produce the principal tones, according to normal musicnotes, for the notes provided with t, in the third row, the higher lying key opposite the corresponding principal note, and for the notes provided with b, the lower lying key opposite the corresponding principal note.

On the drawin a disposition of the key-board is shown as an example according to the present invention, whereby Fig. 1 shows the key-board, as seen from above,

Fig. 2 an example for playing music-notes, (piano-notes) The three rows are marked I, II and III, whereby row I lies on the outer border, hence the fingers of the person playing must lay back the shortest distance, in order to set the keys of this row into action. In the first and second row, the keys producing the principal tones CD- EF-G--AB are arranged in zigzag, whereby they produce the same tone-intervals, as in the case of the C major-scale. Also the disposition of the keys in the third row for producing the semi-tones C sharp-D sharp-4 sharp- G sharp-13 flat (A sharp), i. e. the semi-tones of an octave, are arranged according to the toneintervals of the C major-scale. Hereby, the disposition is such that the keys for C sharp and C, and those for B and B fiat lie approximately in one line, corresponding with the tone-intervals of the principal tones.

When playing after the piano-notes in Fig. 2- written in treble-clef-the key-board is set into action, as described below:

The notes of the first 3 measures correspond with the tones of the first and second row, the notes of the 4th measure with the tones of the third row. Row I is, therefore, always set into action, when a note lies within the intervening space, row II, when a note lies on the line, and row III, when a note is provided with it or b.

When playing, according to the example mentioned, in the first place E, at the lowest end of the second row in Fig. l, is pressed down. Subsequently, the keys: F'G'E"-D C"BA'F"E"-D"-C", which lie in the first two rows in Fig. 1, are put into action. These tones of the popular song sist mir alles ei Ding correspond with the principal tones C-DE-FGA--B, and they all lie in rows I and II, in the order of Fig. 1. The note C" sharp in the third intervening space being a sharpened note requires the setting into action of the higher lying key C" sharp in the third row, opposite the key C" in the first row. The key F sharp in the first intervening space of the third row is set into action in exactly the same manner, this key also lying higher than key F in the same intervening space of the first row. The note E" flat (D" sharp) in the fourth intervening space requires the setting into action of the key E" flat (D" sharp), lying lower than the principal tone-key E" in the first row. The note A. fiat (G' sharp) is put into action in the same way.

The examples mentioned show that touchnotes and music-notes are combined with each other. A nonconnoisseur of notes puts the notes into action, in accordance with their position on and between the music-lines, one who knows notes, puts them into action as he reads them.

The tone-production of the keys may take place in the well known manner, either by pulling, or by means of pressure. By adding or by leaving out a corresponding number of keys, the keyboard of accordions may be arranged, in the same, continuous succession, to have a larger or smaller range than those of normal disposition.

What I claim is:

Disposition of the treble-clef-key-board of accordions for playing after ordinary music-notes, consisting of three rows of keys for a combination of touch-notes and music-notes in which the keys lying in the first and second row, which rise.

from the deep to the higher tones and merely produce principal tones, are arranged in zigzag formation, the keys producing semi-tones being positioned in the third row whereby, said keys being arranged in such a manner that the keys for the initial and final semi-tones of an octave lie approximately in the same line as the keys of the first and second row for the corresponding principal tones and, thereby, each key of each row in its succession and in its position towards one another, corresponds with the succession and position of the notes in ordinary music-printing.

ERNST CLAUDE. 

